NEWTON D. BAKER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 06/30/1932 - HFSID 3613

NEWTON DIEHL BAKER
Former Secretary of War Newton Diehl Baker signed this typed letter to the wife of Samuel Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor, in 1924, saying in part "it is difficult for me to select out any particular incident, or incidents, for inclusion in the intimate appreciation of him which you are preparing."
Typed letter signed "Newton D Baker". Pencil marks in unknown hand.3 pages, 8¼x10¾, single sided pages, on letterhead of Baker, Hostetler, Sidlo & Paterson in Cleveland, Ohio. Encapsulated to 17¼x11¼. June 30, 1932. Addressed to Mrs. Samuel Gompers, New York City. In part: "As I knew Mr. Gompers intimately over a long period of years, it is difficult for me to select out any particular incident, or incidents, for inclusion in the intimate appreciation of him which you are preparing. It will be easy to find to find testimony from those who knew Mr. Gompers as to the robust strength of his intellect, his indomit-able courage and his genuine devotion to the cause in which he spent his life." He does credit him with reducing labor problems in the United States during World War II: "With his cooperation it was possible to avert during the war labor difficulties to a degree not known in any other country so far as my knowledge goes. He and I discussed the labor situation and the effect of war upon it many times." SAMUEL GOMPERS (1850-1924, born in London, England) was an American labor leader who founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1886. He was also the AFL's first president. The election of President Woodrow Wilson, who appointed Baker as Secretary of War in 1916, helped to create better working conditions in the United States, including the creation of the Secretary of Labor on the President's cabinet. NEWTON DIEHL BAKER (1871-1937, born in Martinsburg, West Virginia) was Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio (1912-1915) before serving as President Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of War from 1916 to1921. It was Baker who, on June 27, 1918, pulled numbers out of a fishbowl, drafting men ages 21 to 31 into the military for World War I. Encapsulated in Mylar. Not examined outside encapsulation. Lightly toned and creased. Binder hole with reinforcer in upper left corner of pages. Folded twice and unfolded. Otherwise in fine condition.